Three Canadiens players have been placed on the trade market, including a more surprising name

PUBLICATION

MarcO
December 27, 2022 (12:07)

SHARE THIS STORY

Even if the Habs have a much better season than last year, it would be quite surprising if Martin St-Louis' men qualify for the playoffs this season.

The team is still rebuilding but Kent Hughes' plan is slowly and surely taking shape and we can start to see that the Canadiens could be competitive sooner than expected.

However, the organization will have to be patient again this season but by the trade deadline, which is set for March 3, 2023, there will likely be interest from other general managers in some of the Habs players.

Speaking of which, Shane Seney of NHL Trade Rumors has identified the three players on the team most likely to change addresses by March 3.

Three players on the market?

He says Sean Monahan, Joel Edmundson and Christian Dvorak have good enough value for Kent Hughes to get something interesting in return.

In Monahan's case, as soon as he gets healthy, talks with other teams should begin and there are already rumors that the Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals are interested in #91.

As for Edmundson, he could bring back a second round pick according to Seney, while many teams would like to add a defenseman of his caliber to their roster. The veteran defenseman has one more year left on his contract, which makes him attractive to some NHL executives.

And finally in the case of Dvorak, it is more surprising to see him reappear in the rumors, but Kent Hughes could certainly trade him before his no-trade clause is activated next July and with two more years left on his contract that pays him $4.45 million annually. Even though the salary cap will increase next season, Hughes would like to have more room to maneuver to perhaps add to his team next year.

It is unknown if any of the three players mentioned could be traded by the trade deadline, but there will certainly be other rumors floating around in the coming weeks, including Mike Hoffman, Jonathan Drouin and Josh Anderson.